The Official Double-Din Monsoon Aftermarket Amp+Sub(s) Install Guide

[user name unknown]

I am making this so whoever is putting in an aftermarket amp and subs to go along with their Double-Din Monsoon system, they can look here on how to install it.

This install was done on a 2002 GTI VR6. This install works with all Double-Din Monsoon sounds systems in a Jetta/Golf/GTI.
NOTE: This install will also work with the SINGLE-DIN MONSOON, SINGLE-DIN NON-MONSOON, AND DOUBLE-DIN NON-MONSOON sound systems; however the install will be just a tad different. If you would like install help on something other than the DOUBLE-DIN MONSOON system, feel free to e-mail me. I have the wiring schematics for all of those systems.

1) You are going to run the power wire from your battery to the rear of your car. To get through the firewall you are going to pull this little grommet out and feed the power wire through.

CLICK HERE FOR HIGH RES PICTURE

2) Since there are no RCA outputs on the back of the Double-Din Monsoon headunit you have to make your own. I purchased a line-out converter from Radio Shack. Once you buy that you will need to find the Monsoon amp in the back of your car. Once you find that you will notice that there are two wiring harnesses connected to it. Remove the GREY harness. There should be some black tape wrapped around it. Peel that away so that you can see all the wires. You will need to tap into these four wires in correspondence with the line out converter wires.

NOTE: To my knowledge, Radio Shack doesn't sell their line out converter's anymore. When you are purchasing your LOC, be sure to get one with only 4 wires connected to it.

Right Rear Positive = Brown
Right Rear Negative = Black (right under the brown wire)
Left Rear Positive = White
Left Rear Negative = Black (right under the white wire)

As of right now, the color code for the wires have only been varified for my 2002 GTI VR6. I am not sure if this is different on the 2003 models. If someone could check, I can edit this post to make sure everyone knows.

I used these wire taps from Radio Shack:

And here is what it looks like after all four wires are tapped into the line out converter:

CLICK HERE FOR HIGH RES PICTURE

3) You will need a remote turn on lead wire so that when you turn on your headunit, your aftermarket amp will turn on. Find the wiring harness that you would plug into your 6 CD-Changer or already have your 6 CD-Changer plugged into. Peel back the black wrapping around the harness. Find the GREY wire inside that harness. This is the wire you will tap into for your remote turn on wire for your aftermarket amp. Here is what it looks like when done:

OPTIONAL: It may be a good idea to use a relay instead of powering the additional amp turnon directly from the cd changer harness. One guy accidentally shorted the wire and blew the turon circuit in his HU which would be a bummer.
A relay is simple to do: Get a 30 amp automotive relay. Hook it up in the following manner:
Relay coil A :Gray changer wire
Relay Coil B: Ground (I took it right from the - terminal on my subwoofer amp.)
Relay Common: +12V (I took it right from the + terminal on my subwoofer amp.)
Relay N.O. Terminal: Amp turnon terminal.

CLICK HERE FOR HIGH RES PICTURE
The blue wire is the wire that I tapped into the grey wire. The blue wire runs to my aftermarket amp.

4) Finally, you will need to ground your aftermarket amp. I also have a capacitor connected to my system. So I grounded both at the same location. There is a little hook type thing in the back of your hatch/truck. Most likely it is to hook a net on. I just removed the hex screw from the hook and put the two ground wires on that screw and screwed it back in.

CLICK HERE FOR HIGH RES PICTURE

Your setup is done. Now, just connect the power wire to the battery. Remember, disconnect the ground from the battery first, then connect the power wire. Then replace the ground to the battery.

CLICK HERE FOR HIGH RES PICTURE

Turn your car on, turn your headunit on, pop in your CD of choice...and crank it up.

If you have any questions, please feel free to IM me.

SINGLE-DIN MONSOON and NON-MONSOON SCHEMATIC

DOUBLE-DIN MONSOON and NON-MONSOON SCHEMATICS

PLEASE NOTE - This HOW-TO is not meant to help you setup a system that can be put into "a SPL contest hitting 100 cycles or lower". (Kain420). It is meant to help people out that would like to keep their OEM headunit but have aftermarket subs.


Modified by user name unknown at 1:58 PM 2-3-2004

[2.ohh]

nice tutorial it's good to see someone putting out the effort to help everyone else i've done a few for the 3rd gen mazda proteges. if i owned a VW, i'd do one for them

[GTIdaho]

I am so happy you posted this... I was just thinking about writing this all up today. This needs to be a sticky thread for sure! Mods????

I just have a couple of points to add:

1) The color codes vary on the harness depending on model year apparently but the pin numbers don't. Anyway anyone doing this you should just go by the pin numbers in the plug.

Here are the pin codes for all the plugs on the Monsoon amp. Someone with a bentley manual should check these and let me know if anything is incorrect. I got these off another post a long time ago:

Green Amp Connector (Output to speakers, Not recommended you tap these, They are crossed over in the amp)
1 + LR Woofer
2 - LR Woofer
3 + RR Woofer
4 - RR Woofer
5 +LR Tweet
6 - LR Tweet
7 + RR Tweet
8 - RR Tweet
9 +LF Tweet
10 - RF Tweet
11 - LF Tweet
12 + RF Tweet
13 - LF Woofer
14 + LF Woofer
15 - RF Woofer
16 +RF Woofer

Gray Amp connector (Speaker level Input from HU) Most people tap the rear lines for Subs.
14 +LR
15 - LR
17 - RR
18 +RR

20 +LF
21 - LF
23 + RF
24 - RF

2) Amps or sub/amp combos like Basslink that have speaker level inputs dont need the line converter, you can just tap the speaker level wires in the gray plug and feed them to the speaker level inputs on the amp. Some may also not require the remote turnon lead because like the Monsoon amp they turn on automatically when a signal appears at the input.

3) Remote turnon: It may be a good idea to use a relay instead of powering the additional amp turnon directly from the cd changer harness. One guy accidentally shorted the wire and blew the turon circuit in his HU which would be a bummer.
A relay is simple to do: Get a 30 amp automotive relay. Hook it up in the following manner:
Relay coil A :Gray changer wire
Relay Coil B: Ground (I took it right from the - terminal on my subwoofer amp.)
Relay Common: +12V (I took it right from the + terminal on my subwoofer amp.)
Relay N.O. Terminal: Amp turnon terminal.

You dont have to do this... I just had the parts and it seemed like a wise thing to do.

4) An FYI: The grommet in the firewall is where the accelerator cable would normally be. Some of the 2.0s and other cars may still have an accelerator cable there. In that case you would need to find another place to get the wire through the firewall. All the cars with electronic throttles will have the plug although it might be hard to locate because of the insulation on both sides of the firewall..

[Modified by GTIdaho, 4:23 AM 1-23-2003]

[Modified by GTIdaho, 9:14 PM 1-26-2003]


[Modified by GTIdaho, 9:15 PM 1-26-2003]

[user name unknown]

and mods wanna make this sticky?

[overmonk]

Lunitixx is flagging it for the staff to look at. Hopefully, we can get this in the MKIV FAQ?

[EgoTrip]

Excellent work, thanks for taking the time to do the detailed writeup.

I especially like the idea of connecting the ground wires to the tie-down. Don't know why I didn't think of that, it's so obvious.

[^Doogie]

How do you take the power cable from the hole under the hood all the way to the back of the car? (ie, where what is the other side of the gromit, and do we take the cable down the side of the car, or down the middle past the center console?)

Thanks for a great write-up!

Jase


[Modified by ^Doogie, 11:23 PM 1-23-2003]

[user name unknown]

quote:

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How do you take the power cable from the hole under the hood all the way to the back of the car? (ie, where what is the other side of the gromit, and do we take the cable down the side of the car, or down the middle past the center console?)

Thanks for a great write-up!

Jase

[Modified by ^Doogie, 11:23 PM 1-23-2003]

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I ran mine right under that plastic panel on the center console. It was easier to do it that way rather than hide it under the door sill or something.

[TheFritz11]

Hey John you are pretty nuts with audio stuff

[user name unknown]

quote:

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Hey John you are pretty nuts with audio stuff

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Yeah...the only think left is the VWCDPIC for my iPod conversion. I wish the first one would have worked

[SETuseer]

wouldn't it be possible to run power from the 12v outlet in the trunk of the jetta?

[user name unknown]

the power would always be on...making your amp always on

[01JettaGRN]

where exactly in the truck would the monsoon amp be?? have a 01 jetta would it be the same as the golf??

[user name unknown]

no..the jetta monsoon amp is mounted in a different place. pop your trunk and stick your head in and look up. I think it is mounted somewhere up there...

someone wanna help me here that has a jetta?

[FurBurglar]

On my 2002 Jetta, it is under the rear deck, on the right as you are looking into the trunk.

[1st SilverOne]

I hooked up the remote wire to the grey wire on the cd changer harness but I did not get 12v (with the ignition on). I tested all the pinouts on the harness I didn't get 12v at any of the locations.

My 2002 Jetta didn't come with a changer. Does the code in the Hu have to have a changer in the code? I'm baffled. Any ideas

[user name unknown]

quote:

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I hooked up the remote wire to the grey wire on the cd changer harness but I did not get 12v (with the ignition on). I tested all the pinouts on the harness I didn't get 12v at any of the locations.

My 2002 Jetta didn't come with a changer. Does the code in the Hu have to have a changer in the code? I'm baffled. Any ideas

---

Did you test it with your headunit on? There is no code that tells the HU that you have a cd-changer or not. Check the grey wire with the headunit on. The grey wire doesn't react with the ignition being on or off, it reacts when the headunit is turned on or off.

[1st SilverOne]

Maybe that's what I'm not doing. Ok let me go try that and see what happens.
Thanks

[1st SilverOne]

I tried that and it still didn't work. Well I hooked up Sony amp to replace the Monsoon Amp altogether. I took out both harness's to the amp and rewired to my Sony amp to the existing speakers.

Does the amp have any thing to do with the changer because I am still not getting 12v at the grey wire?

[1st SilverOne]

Ok I got it. I used a self-tapping wire connector and it didn't go through the insulation on one of the wires.

[ReflexGLS]

Can anyone say if the Double-Din head unit's output to the monsoon amp has common or floating ground?

I picked up a nice rockford amp and it states that it MUST be floating ground, and that a comon ground will damage it.

[jeya3]

Is it safe?my friend has a 2002 jetta 1.8t. And he wants to do that exact same thing, but i've done a lot of stuff for my system, so I'm going to be doing it for him. But i need to know for sure, that it is as easy as it looks and i shouldn't have any complications. I need to make sure that there's not a high risk of "shorting" anything on the stock deck?

[user name unknown]

quote:

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Is it safe?my friend has a 2002 jetta 1.8t. And he wants to do that exact same thing, but i've done a lot of stuff for my system, so I'm going to be doing it for him. But i need to know for sure, that it is as easy as it looks and i shouldn't have any complications. I need to make sure that there's not a high risk of "shorting" anything on the stock deck?

---

The install took me about an hour total. As for is it safe...everything you see done above is safe for the stock headunit....except one thing that I have heard mixed emotions about. That is the remote turn on wire that I connected to the grey wire of the cd-changer harness. Some say that it may short out the headunit somehow when it sends the signal to the cd-changer or something. All the grey wire does is sends a small power signal thru the line to the cd-changer...telling the cd-changer that it can turn on. I tapped into that and ran it to my aftermarket amp...that way whenever I turn on my headunit, it will tell my aftermarket amp to turn on. So far, I have had no problems with it at all. That is the only thing that may be of risk.

[^Doogie]

GTIdaho said:

quote:

---

3) Remote turnon: It may be a good idea to use a relay instead of powering the additional amp turnon directly from the cd changer harness. One guy accidentally shorted the wire and blew the turon circuit in his HU which would be a bummer.
A relay is simple to do: Get a 30 amp automotive relay. Hook it up in the following manner:
Relay coil A :Gray changer wire
Relay Coil B: Ground (I took it right from the - terminal on my subwoofer amp.)
Relay Common: +12V (I took it right from the + terminal on my subwoofer amp.)
Relay N.O. Terminal: Amp turnon terminal.

You dont have to do this... I just had the parts and it seemed like a wise thing to do.

---

...Just in case you're worried, I'd think the relay idea would work very well.

[mattylmbr]

Amp location in a Jetta wagon?? Anyone?? AND, will this work with a single din monsoon setup?? (The 02 jetta wagons still came with the single din)..

[user name unknown]

quote:

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Amp location in a Jetta wagon?? Anyone?? AND, will this work with a single din monsoon setup?? (The 02 jetta wagons still came with the single din)..

---

this question was already asked...here is the answer

pop your trunk, stick your head in and look up. should be mounted underneath the rear deck.

and yes, this will work with the single-din Monsoon system as well.


[Modified by user name unknown, 10:34 AM 2-10-2003]

[mattylmbr]

Hey thanks but I said WAGON.. Pop the HATCH, look up, and there is nothing(no rear deck in a wagon) .. But thanks for thinking.. Anyone on the wagon amp location??


[Modified by mattylmbr, 5:37 PM 2-10-2003]

[user name unknown]

quote:

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Hey thanks but I said WAGON.. Pop the HATCH, look up, and there is nothing(no rear deck in a wagon) .. But thanks for thinking.. Anyone on the wagon amp location??

---

My guess is that it should be around the same area as a Golf/GTI, since it does have a hatch.

Sorry about the other post...I didn't see you said WAGON.

[mattylmbr]

No problemo.. I think I may have found it.. Left hand side above where the changer gets mounted.. There is like a foam mold that the changer gets set into in the compartment, and it appears that the amp is above that.... Will post up when I know for sure..

[tcrboravr6]

does anyone know if this will work for the 2000 monsoon system?

[speedsnice]

Thanks for the How-to, I installed a Rockford Fosgate punch 500.2 and a 12 inch polk/momo sub in my 03 GTI over the weekend. The colors of the wires were the same as the pictures above. The sound system sounds alot better now. I am gonna install a Rockford Fosgate 1-farad Capacitor cause the lights dim a little when the bass hits hard.


[Modified by GLIVR6speed, 9:08 PM 2-10-2003]

[user name unknown]

quote:

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does anyone know if this will work for the 2000 monsoon system?

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Yes, this will work with both the single-din and double-din Monsoon systems. I am not sure if it will work with the non-monsoon systems because I am not sure if they have the same color wires.

[mattylmbr]

For anyone that cares to know, the monsoon amp in the Wagon is above the CD changer compartment behind the molded foam in the left hand storage area.. I cut a small piece of the foam away and it exposed the harnesses and made them much easier to get to..

[Quick VW]

I installed new subs this weekend using this guide, and wanted to let you know I appreciated your work in putting this together. The tie-down ground was a very cool idea, and works very well.
FYI to others:
This wiring scheme is the same for '01 Jettas w/ Monsoon. (grey harness amp input)
Right Rear Positive = Brown
Right Rear Negative = Black (right under the brown wire)
Left Rear Positive = White
Left Rear Negative = Black (right under the white wire)

Thanks again!

-Grant

[mattylmbr]

Question on the remote wire?? I have the in dash 6 disc changer, so the changer harness in the rear is not hooked up, therefore the grey wire will not work as a remote wire.. Is there a remote wire to the amp?? OR, is there anything else in the rear that I can use as a remote for the amp?? Thanks ahead of time..